Lifetime's Army Wives came back with its second season on Sunday. There are clearly parts of this show that are completely fabricated and ridiculous and well, you get the picture. But there are parts of that are so true and painful to watch. This was true on Sunday's ep. The plotline with Roxy (the stripper turned Army wife married to the PFC) was very true to life. Her husband was deploying - their first deployment - and she hadn't heard from him as he promised, so she refused to leave the house until she heard from him. She couldn't clean the house, couldn't get dressed. I know what that feels like. I know what waiting for a phone call feels like, I know the feeling that even though it won't change anything, some how hanging out in bed in your pajamas all weekend ignoring chores and phone calls and such seems like it might make it better - even if that just means the laundry still isn't done, the dishes sit in the sink and all of that makes me feel worse too. All that said, I think they did a really good job showing what its like when you are adapting to a new deployment. The scene where she watches the video from her husband made me weep - while I don't have a video of my husband, he's said many of the same words to me as I've cried on the phones throughout this deployment.
Now - as for the plotline of a jealous husband blowing up the bar. Well, this is what I don't get. Being the wife of a deployed Soldier is hard. Just show that. Show that drama. All that drama that Roxy's plotline showed. Or the great plotline with Pamela last season about the middle of a deployment when you can't see your way out and you can't remember what it was like before. It just seems like there has always been a deployment. So show the Army wife drama. Leave the OTH drama to OTH. Where it awesomely belongs.
Hello world!
9 months ago
2 comments:
Why does anyone have to know the life we lead as military spouses? What will we gain by providing this insight to the non-military/civilian public? I find the show "Army Wives" a waste of airwaves. Much more interesting things to see on tv than the perpetuation of silly drama and stereotypes. If a spouse/family chooses not to be military then they probably chose wisely (IMHO) but they dont need to be laden with the fact that military families face hardships and separation issues just because they chose a different lifestyle. How good is it to continually reinforce that their 'freedom isnt free' by proclaiming the 'woes me' family picture, how terrible it is, how much support we need, how our families sacrfice for yours. I may empathize with the deployment issues but surely, I dont care about what others families are doing with themselves. BTW- when will this tv show a spouse going to school, having a professional career, or not being part of a gossipy coffee clutch? AH- thats right because it doesnt exist and doesnt make for good tv.
Army Spouse, Air Force Reservist, Civilian Professional
I don't agree. I think one of the biggest probems right now is that civilians don't now what goes on. They don't need to be "laden" with the fact that military families have hardship? How about my need not to be "laden" with gossip about Brittany Spears when I turn on the TV?
Look, I'm against the Iraq War, and you never hear me spout "freedom isn't free". But that doesn't make the pain of deployments any less. Actually, it makes it even /worse/.
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